Indicating-valve.



' Patented Mr. '5,191&

lse

rg. rassure'. E

Copy i "Specileation of Ztetters Patent.

nsniclrrrnevarivn raten-tea Mar. 5', 191e.

applicano; nel any es, 1ere. serial messes.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE B. Hsin WARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in "lndicatingvalves, o'which the following is a specicatiom'reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a .new and nnproved indicator valve, referring more particularly to` air valves having means connected therewith for disclosing a subnormal pressureand has or its object, among other things, to provide a simple device that will operate automatically to sound an alarm or by other means disclose the actthat yair pressure within the valve has been reduced to a oint below a predetermined pressure.

' o these,'and other ends, my invention consists in the air valve, having certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals of reference designate like parts in the several figures;

Figure lis a longitudinal sectional viewl of my improved valve; and

Figs. 2, 3 and' 4 are enlarged sectional views thereof, taken upon lines 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4, respectively of Fig. 1.

My .invention may be used in ,coruiection with any device having` pressure and is especially adapted to loe used in connectionwith 'vehicle tires, and in the speciieation and drawings it is de scribed and shown as applied thereto., l would have :it understood, however, that while it is so described and illustrated, l.' do. not desire to be limitedto such use.

The inner' tube of a vehicle tire is usually iniated lwith air up to a maximum predetermined pressure, and if there is a leakage, this pressure will of course be gradually re duced until the air is fully exhausted and the tire is dat. lf this condition of the tire is not discovered promptly and the vehicle is running, the tire is seriously injured.- This damage can be prevented il? an alarm is given Whenever the air pressure becomes reduced to a material extent, say 50% of its n aximuni pressure, so that the tire may again be inilatcd. A pressure of 50% of the maximum is merely sirable minimum pressure, because the tire air therein under suggested as a decan run a considerable distance under this pressure without injury thereto, sufficient 1n any ease to run the vehicle to a garage j or station having an air pump.

My device is designed to accomplish the desirable results just above indicated, mechanism being provided that prevents the escape of air when the pressure is above a -predetermined minimum, but when it becomes reduced below such minimum, air will escape and contact ber, which will create a whistling sound that will announce the fact that the air in the tire has been leaking and theI tire requires inflation.

In the drawings l have illustrated by the broken lines a portion of a vehicle tire 1, a portion of an inner tube 2, and connected therewith is the usual valve body 3, within which is mounted a valve Il. All of theseparts are old and in common use and constitute no part of my present invention, but as they are generally found in connection with all vehicle tires, I have shown them here for purposes of illustrating the application of my invention.

with a vibratory mern- The numeral 5 designates the outer casing of-rny device, having the interior threads 6 at one end, by which the valve casing is threaded onto the valve body 3, Threads ably mountedin said casing by'means oli the interior threads 6, is a stem block 7, Awithin which is threaded the stem 8, having au aperture 9 extending part way therethrough, the lower end of which terminates adjacent to a port 10st right angles to said aperture. The outer casing 5 is 'threaded 'onto the valve body v3 in such manner that the end of the stem 8 abuts against the valve #l and holds the same in its open position so as to permit air to pass into and out of the aperture 9through the port 10. A gasket 11 surrounds the stern 8 so as to provide an airtight joint at the end of the valve body 3 and a similar gasket 12 is provided around the stein block 7 to prevent leakage of air therethrough. Threadably mounted within the `outer casing 5 is the inner valve casing 13 which is surrounded by the usual gasket 14;' to' prevent leakage of air thereby and which is provided with an interior conical bore 15, which is closed at one end by a 'disk 16 Vhavingn' a plurality of ports 17.there through. Slidable within said. let" casing is the valvestem 18 whitl gu at one end by the dislr i6 and v'led lBEST AVAILABLE COF tween its ends with two eonieal heads 19 and 20, between which, isa tapered portion, 2l, and mounted therein is a valve disk preferably made of yielding,n material, suoli as rubber or leather. This valve 33 is of less Width than the open space between the two vheads 19 andQO and is, placed in position by being forced overthe head i9. The valve `stein 18 has a movement parallel with its axis, and when moved, toward the stein block 7 the valve disk 33 eontraets by reason of the smaller diameter of that giertion of the stem that lies Within the bore thereof. By reason of this contraction the frotional hold of tlie valve disk apen the Walls of the conical bore i5 is reduced 'to such an extent that when the face ett the head i9 contacts 'with 'the valve diei; it can be moved parallelvvitli the axis of said stern with little. er no pressure., The reverse movement of the valve stein produces are verse result, that is, the valve disk moves parallel with the axis of the valve stem en` til its periphery contacts with the 'conical bore l5 when the further movement of the f stern causes the same to expand and tighten its grip upon said conical. bore to suoli an extent as to prevent the passage oi' air there through.` ln brief, when opening the valve,

the val-ve disk first contracts and, releases its hold and then moves )parallel with the valve stem a limited distance until disenfaged entirely from said conical bore and in eleemg the valve the valve disk first moves parallel with 'the valve stein and tlien expands,

The means :for moving said val fe stem in one dii'eetion comprises spring; 22 rneiinted within the easing 5, abutting at @ne end against the head member 23, which is pr@ vided' with a plurality of openings 21.1. around its periphery, a .sleeve 25 threaded, in the shank 26v of said easing 5, and a Washer 27 that lies'lietween said spring and said sleeve. By adjustment oi? said sleeve Within said.l shank, means are provided whereby the tension of said spring apen said head member and valve stero. ma, varied .to suit diering `conditions an ae eommodate varying pressures.

Through one side of the valve easing 5 isa port 28, normally covered by a vibrate r 29 which is secured in osition by a screw 30,.

I/have shown in Fig. l, `by dotted linee, the' valve that vis usually attached to the valve body 3, and have designated'the saine bythenumeral 3L which-valve is provided l with a cap 32 that is renie/ved Whenever it is desiredto-inlate the inner tube'.

For convenience l have ,previded a tin. eed upon the head of ythe screw St*- so that tliie cap 32, When so remevedgniay be screwed. thereon and engage the vibrator 29 to hold it against the outer easing with. suoli' preusure as to entirely close the part and are vent the leakage'o air tlieretlireegliK and .aainst the vibrater 29 vvliieli sounds the stein 'valve element one eine Leven. ia'

inner tube as above described and the cap 32 70 removed, threaded apen the need of the serevv 3G and against the vibrator 29, thus closing said port. Airis now admitted into said valve easing through the valve SLas is common praetiee, which passes through said outer valve easing 5 into the aperture 9 through the port l0, valve body 3 and into the tube, 2, and when the same leas become fully inilated the air supply is sluit ed. The pressure therein new moves the valve stem i8 away frein the stem bloeit 7 and the eoni Cal liorel Within the inner valve easing 13 is closed by the valve dislri in the manner heretofore described, The eap 32 is removed from the screw 3G and again attaehed to the valve .33., elosing tlie saine and releasing' the 'vibrator 2Q. air pressure within time inner tribe E3 becomes reduced, as above indi cated, to a predetermined minimum l,prese sure, the springq a2, 'Whisk has been adjusted :tor such minimum gir esure, moves the valve disk 33, as aimve deseriloed, tiene epening tlie valve and permitting air to pass through the conical more tlirongii. port 28 alarm., v

Other devices lee substituted for announcing? suela subnormal air pressure, sach as a whistle or `any one ei numeiens devices that will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art,

Within the spirit and scope mi my inven' tion, miner changes and, alterations may be made in tlie details 'Earth herein and shown in the drawings, and l Wenld therefore have it understoed that l: do not limit inysel 'to the erzaet eonstrection herein shown and described, lont elaim all that falls fairly witliin the scape of the appended elainis.

l-laviiig described my invention, what l elaini as new and d sire to secure by Letters latent, isz-e* l L in 'a valve, a easing having an elastic valve element movably mounted therein, and 11F means :l'or bodily moving said valve element to open and close the valve, and such means including a valve stem having a cone portion supporting said valve element between stops on said valve stern and permitting independent movement of said valve stem relatively to said valve element.

:2. ln a valve, the eemliination with a cas ieg, ai a valve element movaloiy mounted therein, a stein within said element mevable independently of said element, and mea-ne on said stem for iirst limitimp,` the movement theieoi relatively to said element and enloseqaeritlyy effeeting the movemento said tervening cone portion; and a flexible va ve disk movably supported on said cone po tion, the thickness of said valve disk being relatively less than the length of the space v between said lheads whereby independent seating, a valve disk movably mounted on .limited movement of said valve disk on its two heads and providing support is permitted. v

4. In a valve; a casing having a conical bore; a flexible valve disk mounted therein and capable of independent movement relatively to its support; and a valve stem having a cone shaped portion of greater ,length than `the thickness of said valvevdisk between a support for said valve disk.

5. In a valve; a conical valve seating; a valve carrier; a flexible valve disk supported on a cone portion of said Icarrier and capable of independent movement thereon; and

n o n o n means, provided on saidA carrier to limit saidl independent movement.

6. In a valve which is automatically opened when the' equilibrium of pressure is disturbed; a valve body; a conical valve seating; a valve stem having' the valve proper consisting of a flexible disk movably mounted on said stem; andmeans on said stem for limiting independent movement of said disk relatively to the valve stem.

7 In a valve, a valve body having a valve its support in said seating, means for operatively moving said valve disk bodily, consisting of a valve stem having independent movement relatively to said disk, and stops on said valve stem for first limiting said independent movement, vand subsequently eiiecting movement of said valve disk and valve stem as one unit.

8. In a valve; an elastic valve` element movably mounted on a support consisting of a valve stem provided 4with stops which limit independent movement between said valve element and valve stem.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aiiixed my signature.

CLARENCE B. HAYWARD. 

